Time Magazine has named George W. Bush its "Man of the Year." This is not necessarily an honor. The stated criteria is that it denotes the person who, in the view of the magazine's editors, "for better or worse, has most influenced events in the preceding year." Past recipients include a lot of great men who made the world better but on the list, you will also find the names of Hitler, Stalin, Krushchev, Ayatollah Khomeini and many more.
At the moment, Drudge and many Conservative sites have up a picture of Bush flanked by Roosevelt and Churchill, as if to suggest he has been voted as in their league. That's kinda dishonest. For that matter, these are all sites that never thought the opinion of Time Magazine was worth a tin nickel.
But never mind that. I am a little puzzled by this paragraph in the Time announcement…
Interview with Former President and First Lady: "Michael Moore's got to be the worst for me," former President George H.W. Bush tells Time's Hugh Sidey when asked about the low point of this last term. "I mean, he's such a slimeball and so atrocious. But I love the fact now that the Democrats are not embracing him as theirs anymore. He might not get invited to sit in Jimmy Carter's box (at the Democratic Convention) again. I wanted to get up my nerve to ask Jimmy Carter at the Clinton thing (the opening of Bill Clinton's library), 'How did it feel being there with that marvelous friend of yours, Michael Moore?' and I didn't dare do it."
Did the former president actually say this? The low point of the last four years was that someone put out a movie criticizing his son? That was a lower point than the 9/11 attacks where so many people died and so many more were affected for the worse? That was a lower point than his son having to send American soldiers to die in a war? Gosh. I'd like to think that quote is way outta context.